


The Pavement Sings My Bravery

by small_town_girl



Category: Glee
Genre: Character Death, Gen, school shooting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-21
Updated: 2011-11-21
Packaged: 2017-10-26 09:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/281534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/small_town_girl/pseuds/small_town_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Quote Challenge on the Glee Angst Meme from the quote: "In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present." (Francis Bacon.)</p><p>Puck takes charge during a school shooting in order to get his injured friends to safety.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pavement Sings My Bravery

There was a stain in the parking lot of McKinley High School, one that was bypassed by most of the students in the school in the few weeks since it had appeared. They didn’t want to see it, they didn’t want to be near it, they didn’t want to remember why it was there. It meant walking from the student parking lot, around the school, and going in through the front doors instead of using the back doors.

It would fade in time. There would be rain to wash it away, people would start to forget, the students would graduate and move on while new students would fill the halls. The town would remember the day every year but eventually they would have to pause for a moment to remember the names and the details.

Some, though, would never be able to forget every single nightmarish detail of that day: Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray, skipping class by hanging out in Quinn’s car and witnesses to the whole tragedy; Finn Hudson, victim living with a reminder of that day embedded in his shoulder; Kurt Hummel, another victim who should have been lost that day; Sam Evans, uninjured but present every step of the way; William Schuester, responsible for his students not being in class that day. For them, there was no forgetting that day, no escaping waking up in sweat-soaked blankets after a nightmare, and years of struggling to move on.

When Mr Schuester had excused the entire Glee club from their third period classes in order to rehearse for Regionals, he’d never thought that would be the last time he saw them all together. He gave them instructions, told them to stay in the choir room, then left them to teach his Spanish class. Santana and Quinn had immediately left, despite Rachel’s vocal protests, and the students that stayed were more interested in gossiping than rehearsing.

The first shot had echoed through the silent halls, catching everyone’s attention. No one knew exactly what had happened but they all knew it wasn’t normal. The first shot, that was a warning shot, a loud but wordless warning to the school population that little Kenny Fritz wouldn’t be pushed around anymore. He opened the door to the closest classroom and fired a few random shots. He didn’t care who he hit, he didn’t care who died, they were all guilty in his mind.

He opened the door to the choir room, the second room he fired into, and fired four times. He walked away without checking the damage behind him, focused instead of reloading his gun.

The uninjured stood in shock for a moment after Kenny left before Sam sprung into action and ran to the door, closing it and locking it while Mike mimicked his actions with the other door. Rachel was crying and pressing someone’s jacket to Finn’s shoulder, Tina was attempting to pull Artie back into his wheelchair while ignoring the blood pouring from his head, Blaine was staring at Kurt’s bleeding leg, and Puck stood up to take control.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Puck pulled Kurt up before anyone could react. “Sam, help Finn.”

The others didn’t move to follow. Tina wouldn’t leave Artie’s side, even as Mike told her that he was gone, Mercedes and Rachel had taken responsibility for an inconsolable Brittany, and Blaine was still too shocked to move. The movies said to stay and wait for the police but Puck was pretty sure Kurt and Finn couldn’t wait until help found them.

So with Kurt cradled in his arms and Finn’s good arm slung over Sam’s shoulders, the four boys slowly and quietly made their way toward the back entrance of the school that would lead them to the student parking lot. The only noise they made was the slight click of the door when it opened but the silence wasn’t enough. Just as they’d reached the student parking lot, the door opened behind them and Kenny ran out of the school.

Puck quickly handed Kurt off to Sam before he turned to face Kenny. He didn’t know the kid, couldn’t even remember seeing him in the halls in between classes or in the lunch room, but the second he looked into Kenny’s eyes, he knew that was the kid who would end his life.

Later, when being interviewed by the police, Finn blamed them. It wasn’t until the police pulled up that Kenny raised the gun. Puck had been trying to talk Kenny into putting the gun down and Finn was convinced Puck was succeeding before the policed showed up. Puck didn’t hesitate when Kenny raised the gun but the kid wasn’t aiming at them, nor was he aiming at the police cars roaring into the parking lot. He was aiming for Quinn’s car where Quinn and Santana had gotten out at the sight of Puck, Kurt, Sam, and Finn. Puck stepped in front of the gun.

The bullet killed instantly. Puck was dead before his body slid to the pavement, his blood seeping into the pavement as the police took charge. Kenny was brought down easily, his courage vanishing after using his last bullet on Puck. Sam, Kurt, and Finn were dragged away from Puck and quickly taken to one of the ambulances with Quinn and Santana joining them a moment later. They were all taken to the hospital, knowing Puck was dead without having to be told.

The damage to Finn’s shoulder would prevent him from playing football, Kurt would walk with a limp for years after that day, all of the survivors spent hours in therapy. When the school was open again, there was still a blood stain on the pavement by the back doors, along with a blood stain on the bench at the edge of the parking lot. No one had thought to try to clean it before the students came back and even though no one wanted to see it and remember, it was still a reminder that an unexpected hero could emerge from even the darkest of moments.


End file.
